18 races won while leading from start to finish: Verstappen now -1 from Senna
Max Verstappen added another impressive milestone to his career in Las Vegas, where he stayed in the lead for the entire Grand Prix. After outsmarting Lando Norris at the start and taking control of the race, the Dutch driver remained firmly in first place for all 50 laps, never giving up the lead even during the pit-stop phase. His 69th career victory therefore also became his 18th win in which he has led the field from the opening lap all the way to the chequered flag.
Only Hamilton and Senna have done better
In this particular category, covering the entire history of Formula 1, only two drivers have done better than the Red Bull driver. Lewis Hamilton tops the all-time list with 23 races won while remaining in the lead for every lap, followed by Ayrton Senna with 19. With his Las Vegas performance, Verstappen has now risen to 18, just one behind the Brazilian legend.
The gap to the rest of the active grid is enormous. Behind Verstappen, the closest current drivers are Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris, both with just three races led from start to finish in their entire careers.
| Pilot | Races won while leading every lap |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 23 |
| Ayrton Senna | 19 |
| Max Verstappen | 18 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 15 |
| Jim Clark | 13 |
| Jackie Stewart | 11 |
| Michael Schumacher | 11 |
| Nigel Mansell | 9 |
An interesting detail is that Max Verstappen has managed four lights-to-flag victories already in 2025, despite driving a car that is clearly less dominant than in previous seasons. This means he has already matched his total from 2021, the season in which he secured his first world championship, and he is now just one win short of his 2023 tally — the record-breaking year in which he achieved five victories without ever relinquishing the lead.
With Qatar and Abu Dhabi still to come, the 27-year-old has two more chances this year to either equal or pass Ayrton Senna’s legendary mark of 19 – and maybe even start eyeing Lewis Hamilton’s untouchable 23.
Leading every lap used to be the ultimate display of total control. In the modern era very few drivers get the chance. Max Verstappen is making it look almost routine.
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